Occupational safety
Occupational health & safety
Occupational health and safety – Hazardous substances ordinance
In accordance with the Hazardous Substances Ordinance and TRGS 528, you as the operator are obliged to check your filter systems and extraction systems regularly in order to protect your employees from hazardous fine dust in the long term.
To ensure that stationary extraction systems are operated safely and trouble-free, the function and effectiveness of the systems must be checked at regular intervals. Influencing extraction systems air quality in the workplace and thus the health, well-being and performance of employees.
However, extraction systems are also necessary for safe and trouble-free operation and work processes.
It is therefore particularly important to carry out regular maintenance and cleaning work on extraction systems. The legislator has also recognized this and has already laid down regulations in the Occupational Health and Safety Act and the associated ordinances.
Occupational health and safety – Legal basis
Section 10 of the German Ordinance on Industrial Safety and Health (BetrSichV) requires that the proper installation and safe functioning of extraction systems be checked prior to initial commissioning. The type, scope and intervals of the regular inspections must be determined in accordance with Section 3 (3) BetrSichV. Only persons who meet the technical requirements for the tests are to be commissioned to carry out the tests. The results of the inspections must be recorded in accordance with § 11 BetrSichV.
The Hazardous Substances Ordinance (GefStoffV) requires the effectiveness of the protective measures taken or to be taken to be assessed in accordance with Section 6 (1) No. 7. According to Section 7 (7), the employer must check the function and effectiveness of the technical protective measures regularly, but at least every third year, and record the results of the check.
Furthermore, according to Annex I No. 2.3 Para. 7 GefStoffV, equipment for separating, collecting and precipitating dusts must correspond to the state of the art. Proof of sufficient effectiveness must be provided when this equipment is put into operation for the first time. This equipment must be checked at least once a year to ensure that it is functioning properly, maintained and, if necessary, repaired. The tests must be documented.
According to section 3.7.2 of the BG regulation “Workplace ventilation – Ventilation measures” (BGR 121), ventilation systems must be inspected by a competent person (previously an expert) before initial commissioning, after significant changes and at regular intervals, but at least once a year. The results of the tests must be documented in a test logbook or a test report.
Occupational health and safety: Clean air recirculation for non-carcinogenic dusts …
Only fine dust is to be expected on the clean gas side of a filter unit. Therefore, according to VDI 2262 Sheet 3, the concentration must not exceed 1/5 of the MAK value. This results in the following new limit values for recirculated air: Alveolar (respirable) dust fraction max. 0.6 mg/m³ and inhalable dust fraction max. 2 mg/m³ In addition, 430 m³/h of fresh air must be supplied for every 1,000 m³/h of return air.
Occupational safety: Clean air recirculation for carcinogenic dusts …
According to the old TRGS 560, recirculation is not permitted. Since the beginning of 2012, there has been a new TRGS 560 which brings with it the following changes: in exceptional cases when it is “operationally not possible”, the air can be recirculated. For every 1,000 m³/h of recirculated air, an additional 1,000 m³/h of fresh air must be introduced. The filter media must have a separation efficiency of 99.995 % of dust class H. The concentration of the carcinogenic substance must not be increased by the recirculated air.
Occupational health and safety: In the case of clean air recirculation, the list of substances in TRGS 900 with air limit values at the workplace for the protection of health …
No specific limit value may be exceeded. Furthermore, the general dust limit value applies: alveolar (respirable) dust fraction max. 3.0 mg/m³ and inhalable dust fraction max. 10 mg/m³.
Occupational health and safety: Clean air recirculation for non-carcinogenic dusts …
Only fine dust is to be expected on the clean gas side of a filter unit. Therefore, according to VDI 2262 Sheet 3, the concentration must not exceed 1/5 of the MAK value. This results in the following new limit values for recirculated air: Alveolar (respirable) dust fraction max. 0.6 mg/m³ and inhalable dust fraction max. 2 mg/m³ In addition, 430 m³/h of fresh air must be supplied for every 1,000 m³/h of return air.